Seat construction



Oct. 28, 1941. A'YQUNG} v 2,260,815

SEAT CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 3, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l NVENTOR Oct. 28, 1941. L1A. YOUNG 2,260,315

SEAT CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 3, 193s 2 sheets-sheet 2 w fi" MEE-4 A INVENTOR BY'ga/74r" )91(275.

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Patented Oct. 28, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y 2,260,815 SEAT CONSTRUCTION Leonard A. Young, Detroit, Mich. f v Y Application December 3, 1938,7Serial No. 243,783

3 Claims.

- The present invention relates to in'iprovements` in a resilient seat construction, and more particularly to seat constructions of the type which may be used in vehicle bodies. Many of the features of the invention herein disclosed may also be utilized to advantage in the'formation of bed springs, resilient spring upholstery units, and for the like or similar uses, it being understood that all of said uses are comprehended by the term resilient seat construction as used herein.

This application is related to co-pending application Serial No. 237,805.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved resilient seat construction in which the improved qualities insure greater comfort to the user.

It is another vobject of the invention to provide an improved resilient seat construction in which air pressures within the seat are utilized to control the resiliency of the seat construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved resilient seat construction in which an integrated resilient base member is formed of a plurality of segments, each' formed from a sheet of plastic material and which are joined to provide a common support for the individual spring units employed in the construction.

A further object of the invention is to provide a, resilient seat construction having improved retaining means for fastening the base portions of the springs to the base member.

Another object of the invention'is .to provide an improved resilient seat construction having adjustable Ventilating means in its base and/or side wall portions which render it possible to regulate the resiliency of the cushion by regulating the rate at which the air is exhausted from the interior of the seat.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved resilient seat construction in which a shaped base member of a predetermined contour is provided and thus provides a seat construction which closely ts the seat opening, such for example as that provided in a vehicle body.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of an upholstered resilient seat embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the seat construction shown in Fig. l with parts thereof broken away.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a portion of the seat construction embodying the present invention it is not intended to limit the invention claimed with yparts thereof broken away, the seat being similar to that shown in Figs. 1 to 3 but having a modified form of spring retaining means.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

' Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3, but showing a modified form of retaining means.

Fig. 'l is a sectional view similar to that of Fig. 6, but showing still another form of retaining means.

Fig. 8 is a plan view, with parts broken away, of the seat construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5, but with adjustable Ventilating means provided in the base portion thereof.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 9 9 of Fig. 8, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig.V 10 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5, but showing Ventilating means in the side wall of the upholstered portion of the seat.

Before explaining in detail the present inventionv it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, and

herein beyond the requirements of the prior art. While the seat shown in the accompanying drawings vis particularly adapted to provide an upholstered resilient seat construction for use in motor vehicles, it is to be deiinitely understood that the invention is not thereby limited to this use, although many of the features of the present invention make the invention particularly adaptable for use in this i'leld.

Referring to the drawings, a resilient seat construction embodying the present invention consists essentially of a base member ID, a plurality of resilient spring units Il, and a cover l2 of upholstering material. The base member I 0 is preferably formed from a plurality of joined sections from yielding imperforate material, such for example as a molded plastic material or the like and which possesses a resilient quality which permits it to yield under the loads imposed thereon and to return to its normal condition upon release of such loads. The sections I0a are formed to provide a continuous sheet' in one direction and to resiliently oppose the loads imposed thereon by the spring units by yielding to the forces transmitted thereto. In the other direction, the sections I0a are joined together by a suitable adhesive or the like. The entire Illa, each of which is formed bottom surface may, if desired, be secured to a continuous sheet Ib of fabric, heavy paper, or the like. The entire base I thus is fabricated from the separate sections I0a, as desired and tends to entrap air within the seat construction and the air cushion thus formed checks, modifies and supplements the resiliency of the springs II. Thus the action of the spring units is not only modified by the entrapped air within the seat, but also is modified by the resilient yielding of the base member which prevents the complete collapse of the spring units under normal load conditions.

In the construction here shown the sections Ia are preferably formed of a continuous sheet of a molded plastic substance which preferably is provided with a plurality of reinforcing ridges I3 which may extend either transversely or longitudinally of the seat. If desired, however, the ridges and transversely of the seat, as shown in Fig. 2, to provide a series of separate pockets which space and hold the base portions of the springs I I.

Either all or some of the reinforcing ridges have a plurality of ports I4 formed therein which provide communication between the interior of the cushion and the grooves I5 formed beneath the reinforcing ridges. The grooves I5 are open to the atmosphere and act as ductsfor conveying air to or from the interior of the cushion. Thus the ports I4 and the grooves I5 provide a duct system which permits a predetermined controlled exhausting of the air from the cushion and a controlled intake of air into the cushion, which is effected by regulating the number and size of the ports I4 and the size of the grooves or hollowed-out portions I5.

In the embodiments of the invention here shown, a metal rim IG which originally is of substantially Lhshape is molded into the two sides and back portion of the base members I0a and provides a member which may be deformed to clamp the side and back marginal edges of the upholstering material and cover I2. As shown in Fig. 3, the edge portion of the upholstering material I2 is preferably folded as at I1 and forced into the channel in the rim I6. The rim I6 is then bent, thus changing the shape of the channel and clamping the edge of the upholstering material securely therein. It is to be understood, however, that any desired type of upholstery securing devices may be used instead of the rim I6, as for example spaced clips, clamps, prongs, or the like.

Extending along the front edge of the base IIJ is a tacking rim or strip I8 which, as shown in Fig. 5, is molded as an integral part of the base member lil. This tacking strip is so formed as to permit the driving of upholstery tacks thereinto and to hold such tacks against removal. However, the tacking rim may be dispensed with in the event that it is desired to secure the upholstery material directly to a structural part of the vehicle body.

In forming the base member IIJ of a molded plastic sheet, the tacking rim I8, if provided, preferably has a lesser density than the body portion of the member III. Such a construction will result by subjecting the rim portion I8 to lesser pressure during the molding operation than that to which the other portions of the base I0 are subjected. In the event however that it is not desired to form the tacking strip as an integral part of the base member I0, a

I3 may extend both longitudinally strip of any suitable tacking material, such for example as wood, compressed paper, plastic, or the like, may be secured to the base I0 in any desired manner.

In view of the fact that in the conventional type of construction the front edge of the upholstering material and cover I2 is preferably provided with pleated portions I9, it is desirable that at least the front portion of the base I0 be provided with the tacking rim required to accommodate the tacking of the forward edge of the upholstering material and cover thereto if the seat is designed to be removable as a unit relative to the vehicle. It is not necessary to provide such a strip if the seat is not intended to be removable from the vehicle. It is to be understood, however, that the tacking rim similar to the tacking rim I8, if desired, may be provided on all four sides of the bottom and that the upholstering material and cover may be secured to the tacking rim on all four sides of the base I0. It is also to be understood that in certain types of seat constructions the rim I6 or other types of upholstery securing devices may be provided around all four sides of the base I I) and the upholstering material I2 may thus be secured to all four sides of the seat without the use of tacks or tacking strips.

In the construction here shown the resilient spring units are of the coil spring type and are attached to the base I0 in any desired manner, as for example by means of clips 22 connected with the base or lowermost coil 2I of the springs and secured to the base member It (see Fig. 3). The clips 20 are preferably metal inserts molded in the sections Ia of the base I0 and bent over the base portions 2| of the spring units in order to hold the springs against movement relative to the base or relative to each other.

Other methods of fastening the coil springs to the assembled base I0 are shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7. Thus in Fig. 5 the base I0 is provided with longitudinally extending raised portions or ridges 22 which are formed to provide longitudinal grooves 22a in which the lowermost coil or base portion 2l of the spring elements II may be sprung to retain the same in the desired position. In Fig. 6 spaced bosses 23 are provided which are of such size as to fit within the lowermost coils 2| of the springs and are spaced in such a manner as to retain the springs in their correct vertical position between the base I0 and the cover I2 of the seat. To prevent accidental displacement of the ysprings II each boss 23 is provided with aligned apertures 24 in its sloping side walls 25, through which a pin 26 of suflicient length to reach from one end of the seat to the other may be inserted, thus locking all of the spring bosses in each row to the base member. As shown in Fig. '7, spring assemblies in which the springs are clamped in their positions in a channel member 28 formed of sheet metal or the like, and the channel members 23 are secured to the base as by staples 2l.

If desired, the ridges 22 in the construction shown in Figs. 4 and 5 may extend transversely of the seat, or both longitudinally and transversely, although the provision of both longitudinal and transverse ridges is not as desirable as using either kind alone in View of the greater diiculty in inserting the base portions 2| of the springs in the surrounding grooves and the decrease in the resilient action of the base member when thus reinforced in both directions. In any case, however, the ridges 22 should preferably be spaced sufliciently close together to connected by means of a top rim 29, which is secured to the springs as by clips 30 or in any other desired manner. In addition, the tops of the springs 3| may be united with one another through a plurality of connecting links 32 which may be either plain wire or small coil springs so that the yielding of any single spring II to a force imposed thereon is partially transmitted to adjacent springs so that the load is carried in each instance by a plurality of springs and is transmitted by such plurality of springs to the base member I0. Due to the yielding nature of the base member I0, complete collapse of the springs I I due to the imposition of a sudden and extreme load thereon is largely pre vented.

As will be seen from the constructions described, air is entrapped in the seat by the base member I 0 and the upholstered covering I2. Any compression of the springs II is therefore cushioned by such entrapped air. As the air is compressed, it will be forced out of the seat chiefly through the ports I4 and the grooves I5, or other duct system provided, and partly through the upholstering material I2. This exhausting of with an `air tight surface, ventilators of any desired type may be used in the upholstering material I2 to permit a controlled flow of air therethrough to or from the interior of the cushion. A suitable form of ventilator of this nature is shown at 31 in Fig. 10, Similar ventilators may also be placed in the upper portion of the cover I2, although it is usually preferable to place them in the side wall 38,as shown.

As the base member I0 is preferably formed of a plastic material, it may be readily molded to any desired configuration toadapt the seat to iit in any desired seat compartment. Thus, when used as the rear seat in a motor vehicle body, it is frequently necessary to provide a contoured portion, such as shown at 39 in Fig. 1, which will extend over the propeller shaft tunnel frequently employed in motor vehicle constructions, and to provide a contoured portion 40 to permit the seat to t around the wheel housing commonly provided in a motor vehicle body. This achieves a the air will occur at a controlled rate which is relatively slow so that the seat has all the cushioning effect of an air cushion. In the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3, for example, the rate of exhaustion of the air is controlled by the number and sizes of the ports I 4 and ridges I5 and the perforate nature of the upholstering material and cover I2. However, if the rate of exhaustion of the air through the upholstered covering is sufficiently high, it may not be necessary to use the ports I4 to exhaust the air through the base member I0.

In some instances it may be desirable to provide Ventilating apertures in the base of the seat which may be adjusted to control the amount of air flowing to or from the interior of the cushion. A suitable means for accomplishing this is shown in Figs. 8 and 9 which show a seat construction having a plurality of spaced bosses or raised portions 33 similar to the bosses 23 shown in Fig. 6. 'Ihe bosses 33, however, are provided with a plurality of symmetrically spaced arcuate openings 34 on their upper surfaces and with a rotatably mounted cover plate 35 which is provided with an equal number of openings 36 of substantially the same size and shape as the openings 34. In utilizing the above as a vensubstantial economy in. construction over conventional structures which employ a metal framework which must be bent to the desired shape and contour. 1

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an improved type of resilient seat.in

which provision is made for trapping and utilizing the air within the seat to modify the resilient characteristics of the spring units employed. Thus,l the rateof exhaustion of the air from the seat may be controlled to effect a control over its riding qualities. In addition, the seat construction of the present invention provides a sheetlike resilient bottom acting as a common support for the spring units, and also provides unique means for securely fastening the springs to the base and otherwise holding `them in place. The base member I0, formed froml a plurality of joined separate sections I 0a, may be readily fabricated to any desired size by joining the required number and sizes and shapesof the separate sections Ia. The sections I0a are of such sizes and shapes that they may be readily formed from a molded plastic substance by conventional manufacturing operations.

tilating means, the cover 35 is rotated varying y I claim:

1. A resilient seat construction comprising a base member, a plurality of coiled spring units, a cover for said spring units, a plurality of spaced bosses in the upper surface of said base member, each of said bosses being of such size as to snugly t within one of the end coils of said spring units, and means extending through said bosses and engaging the lowermost coils of the spring units to hold said units in place.

2. A resilient seat construction comprising a base member, a plurality of coiled spring units, a covering for said spring units, a plurality of spaced bosses in the upper surface of said base member, and retaining means extending through said bosses for fastening the lowermost coils of -said spring units to said bosses.

3. A resilient seat construction comprising a base member, a plurality of coiled spring units, a covering for said spring units, a plurality of spaced bosses on the upper surface of said base member, each of said bosses being of such size as to iit within the lowermost coil of one of said spring units and being provided with aligned apertures, and a pin extending through said apertures and serving to fasten said lowermost coils to said base member.

' LEONARD A. YOUNG. 

